Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Your Music teacher, MJ Barbosa, is aware that you are practising the past simple and past continuous tenses and the forms there was and there were, and that is why she has suggested that we post this song by the Swedish electronic dance music trio Swedish House Mafia.

First we'll offer you the official live video-clip and after the lyrics section you can enjoy a nice accoustic cover by Madilyn Bailey

Later this year you will be learning about the Reported Speech. The most common verb speakers use is Say (usually in its past form, Said), but if you wish to go further and improve your skills in English you should try and use a wide variety of the so-called language verbs. We are sure this chart will be most useful (reblogged from Life of a Newspaper Editor)... and remember Said is Dead!!:

Monday, January 21, 2013

Last 8th Nov 2012, we published a post about an amazing lecture by the late professor Alan Watts:

What if money was no object?

What do I desire? Be the change that you would like to see in this world.

And last Tuesday 8th January, Gavin Aung Than illustrated that same lecture on his website Zen Pencils

Alan Watts (1915-1973) was an English philosopher and writer who played a large part in popularising Zen Buddhism in the west. He gained a wide following after moving to the United States where he published numerous books on Zen and Eastern philosophy. During the 1960s and 70s he toured extensively on the college lecture circuit and became a celebrity among the growing youth movement. Watts had over 25 books published and recorded over 400 lectures, many of which have found a new audience on YouTube.

What is Simon's Cat?
Simon’s Cat is a charming, yet mischievous cat that lives with Simon. He made
his first appearance online, in a film called 'Cat Man Do'. Since then he has also appeared in his own books, game and comic strip.

Who is Simon Tofield?
Simon is an English animator who has a great interest in British wildlife,
painting, the great outdoors and of course cats. Simon started animating at a
very young age. Inspired by cartoons on TV, he used to create basic
flip-books in an attempt to emulate the techniques he saw being used on
screen.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

10 points will be awarded to the student who sends us the FIRST email including:1. The names of the different cities in English2. One famous monument of each city which is also represented in the drawings below.(Click on the image to enlarge)

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Spotted: designer Lu Ting with 72 year old Chinese grandfather
Liu Xianping. This photograph could be one of the many pictures taken everyday
in the bosom of any family, however, Lu’s grandfather has something special
which has made him quite popular…

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Zen Pencils is a website launched in February 2012 by Gavin Aung Than, a freelance illustrator living in Melbourne, Australia. On Zen pencils you will find inspirational quotes from famous people adapted into cartoons. The site is updated once a week, every Tuesday (Australian Eastern Standard time). What type of quotes does Gavin adapt? Anything and everything. Poets to Presidents, comedians to colonels – anyone who inspires him, challenges his way of thinking, wakes him up or just makes him laugh.

Ira Glass (1959-) is a radio broadcaster and host of the award-winning program and podcast This American Life. This quote came from an interview Glass did about the storytelling process. And in this video-clip you can enjoy a cool moving typography version:

Friday, January 11, 2013

Zen Pencils is a website launched in February 2012 by Gavin Aung Than, a freelance illustrator living in Melbourne, Australia. On Zen pencils you will find inspirational quotes from famous people adapted into cartoons. The site is updated once a week, every Tuesday (Australian Eastern Standard time). What type of quotes does Gavin adapt? Anything and everything. Poets to Presidents, comedians to colonels – anyone who inspires him, challenges his way of thinking, wakes him up or just makes him laugh.

Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) Roosevelt was a naturalist, ornithologist, cowboy, conservationist, ranchman, war hero, writer, hunter and politician. Growing up, Teddy Roosevelt was severely asthmatic, too scared to play outside and would instead spend all his time reading. Finally, his father told him to ‘man-up’ and overcome his physical frailty through will power and mental toughness. Theodore not only overcame his asthma, he went on to embrace what he called ‘the strenuous life’ – a life filled with physical activity, adventure and action. He had a fierce intellect as well, writing several books, mediating wars, winning political duels and oh yeah … he was President for 8 years too. Teddy has probably led the fullest and most action-packed life of anyone I’ve ever read about.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Zen Pencils is a website launched in February 2012 by Gavin Aung Than, a freelance illustrator living in Melbourne, Australia. On Zen pencils you will find inspirational quotes from famous people adapted into cartoons. The site is updated once a week, every Tuesday (Australian Eastern Standard time). What type of quotes does Gavin adapt? Anything and everything. Poets to Presidents, comedians to colonels – anyone who inspires him, challenges his way of thinking, wakes him up or just makes him laugh.

Edgar Mitchell (1930-) was the pilot of Apollo 14 and the sixth man to walk on the moon in 1971. On his journey back into Earth orbit, Mitchell had a profound outer-body experience where he says he became aware of a universal consciousness. Since then he has immersed himself in the study of noetic science and channeling the power of the mind. He also has controversial views on UFOs, claiming that aliens have visited Earth and there has been a massive government cover-up to deny their existence.

Monday, January 7, 2013

Zen Pencils is a website launched in February 2012 by Gavin Aung Than, a freelance illustrator living in Melbourne, Australia. On Zen pencils you will find inspirational quotes from famous people adapted into cartoons. The site is updated once a week, every Tuesday (Australian Eastern Standard time). What type of quotes does Gavin adapt? Anything and everything. Poets to Presidents, comedians to colonels – anyone who inspires him, challenges his way of thinking, wakes him up or just makes him laugh.

Neil deGrasse Tyson (1958-) is an astrophysicist, director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York, TV host and one of the current rockstars of the science world. He’s gained mainstream and pop-culture fame thanks to his books, TV show and frequent appearances on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Like the late Carl Sagan, Tyson has the ability to communicate the wonders of science to a mainstream audience with charisma and a sense of humour. It’s fitting then that Tyson will be hosting the upcoming sequel to Sagan’s iconic series Cosmos. Tyson also has a great podcast, StarTalk Radio.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

TBWA Advertising Agency along with Play Station have launched a new campaign to raise public awareness. In this occasion, parents are encouraged to spend more time playing with their kids through the TV spot and the campaign behind it.

The TV commercial includes a catchy song with the aim of keeping children away from the couch for them to enjoy playing in various places: “in the kitchen, on the floor, on the table, at the door...” Lyrics are good to revise basic grammar aspects such as prepositions... ;)

Thursday, January 3, 2013

In Christian tradition the Magi (pronounced /ˈmeɪdʒaɪ/; from the Greek: μάγοι, magoi, usually translated as "wise men", although it probably meant "astronomer" or "astrologer"... that is why they were following a star), also referred to as the (Three) Wise Men, (Three) Kings, or Kings from the East, are said to have visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts.Traditions identify a variety of different names for the Magi. In the Western Christian church they have been commonly known since the 8th century as Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. In the Gospel of Matthew, the only one to describe the visit of the Magi, it states that they came "from the east" to worship the Christ, "born King of the Jews". Although Matthew does not mention their number, because three gifts are recorded as having been given to the Christ Child, traditionally there are thought to have been three Magi. The Magi, as the "Three Kings" or "Three Wise Men" are regular figures in traditional accounts of the nativity and in celebrations of Christmas.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

"New Year's Day" is a song by rock band U2. It is on their 1983 album War and it was released as the album's lead single in January 1983. Written about the Polish Solidarity movement, "New Year's Day" is driven by Adam Clayton's distinctive bassline and The Edge's keyboard playing. It was the band's first UK hit single, peaking at #10 on the singles chart, #11 on the Dutch Top 40 and charting on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in their career. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine placed the single at #427 on their list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".